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264 pp. Soft cover

Thine Is the Kingdomis a composite study of the postmillennial hope. Israel's misunderstanding of eschatology eventually destroyed her, by leading her to reject the Messiah and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Likewise, false eschatological speculation is destroying the church today, by leading her to neglect her Christian calling and to set forth false expectations.

In this volume, edited by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., the reader is presented with a blend of biblical exegesis of key Scripture passages, theological reflection on important doctrinal issues, and practical application for faithful Christian living.

Thine is the Kingdom lays the scriptural foundation for a biblically-based, hope-filled postmillennial eschatology, while showing what it means to be postmillennial in the real world. The book is both an introduction to and defense of the eschatology of victory.

Chapters include contemporary writers Keith A. Mathison, William O. Einwechter, Jeffrey Ventrella, and Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., as well as chapters by giants of the faith Benjamin B. Warfield and J. A. Alexander. This work should prove immensely helpful for understanding and defending the postmillennial hope. It should also enliven our prayer to God as we faithfully pray: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" for "thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

In Chapter One of Thine Is the Kingdom Keith A. Mathison presents an accessible "Summary Case for Postmillennialism." Mathison condenses material found in his much larger work (Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope), surveying some of the key eschatological passages in both the Old and New Testaments. He traces and explains the developing hope of temporal victory beginning at Creation, working its way through the Abrahamic Covenant, on through the Psalms and the Prophets, and into the New Testament. In the New Testament he highlights such important passages as Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great Commission), Romans 9-11 (the question of Israel's future), 1 Corinthians 15 (the great Resurrection chapter), and ending in Revelation 20 (the millennium). This one chapter alone should provide the reader with sufficient biblical data to persuade him or her of the postmillennial hope.

Following upon this introductory survey, Chapter Two furnishes the reader with William O. Einwechter's "Psalm 110 and the Postmillennial Hope," which provides a careful, in-depth exposition of the New Testament's most quoted Messianic psalm. This important passage serves as a cornerstone for the postmillennial hope. Einwechter not only presents a contextual exegesis of the passage, but traces its influence elsewhere in the Scriptures. The New Testament's emphasis on Psalm 110 demonstrates the hope-filled expectation of Christ's victory in history. Perhaps no other passage is as significant as Psalm 110 for understanding biblical eschatology and securing confidence in the postmillennial victory.

In Chapter Three we reprint of the more important eschatological writings of the famed Presbyterian theologian, Benjamin B. Warfield: "Christ the Propitiation for the World." This much neglected article presents a valuable argument establishing not only the world-changing hope for the progress of the gospel, but the corporate nature and goal of salvation. In our day of individualism, psychological-needs oriented preaching, and seeker-sensitive churches, Warfield's powerful exposition of 1 John 2:2 pours a flood of light on the prophetic expectations of Scripture. I have adopted and promoted Warfield's argument in my own works. (As a side benefit, this brief chapter also explains a favorite text of Arminianism in a thoroughly Calvinistic and remarkably insightful way a much more satisfying exposition than Owen's famous approach.)

In Chapter Four Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.'s "Agony, Irony, and the Postmillennialist" takes up the challenge from amillennialists to give a postmillennial account of the biblical call to suffering. This chapter originally appeared in the Westminster Theological Journal. It provides a response to an increasingly common objection to postmillennialism's "triumphalism," by contemporary Reformed, amillennial theologians Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., Knox White, Robert B. Strimple, Cornelis Venema, and others. In this chapter I demonstrate that postmillennialists can easily account for the New Testament suffering passages -- even on the amillennialist interpretation. I point out that the amillennialist too often looks at only one aspect of the call to suffer, thereby offering an insufficient objection to the postmillennial hope of world victory for the gospel.

In the following chapter (Chapter Five), "Victory Belongs to the Lord," also by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., responds particularly to Westminster Theological Seminary's Robert B. Strimple objections to postmillennialism. This chapter responds to his published objections to postmillennialism as found in the Zondervan CounterPoints book: Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond. I answer the additional amillennial objections to postmillennialism that arise from the redemptive-historical system of Geerhardus Vos. Oftentimes the postmillennial system is misconstrued in such a way as to suggest that postmillennialists deny the eschatological nature of salvation, the two-age division of redemptive history, the actuality of the present kingship of Christ, the reality of the present victory of Christ, and the proper focus of Christian witness. I show that these arguments represent nothing more than misunderstandings of postmillennialism.

A common charge against postmillennialists results from our denying the imminency of Christ's Return. In Chapter Six "The End is Not Yet" by nineteenth century Presbyterian exegete J. A. Alexander explodes the argument for the imminent Return of Christ in his masterful analysis. This complaint against postmillennialism has both an exegetical dimension as well as a psychological one. Alexander disposes of both forms of objection by turning the arguments on the objector. The reader should carefully study Alexander?s argument in anticipation of this all too frequent emotional reflex to the long-term commitments of postmillennialism.

Our Chapter Seven is titled: "Practicing Postmillennialism" by Jeffrey Ventrella. It originally appeared in a slightly different form as a series in the Penpoint newsletter of the Southern California Center for Christian Studies. In this chapter he presses home the necessity of living out the implications of our eschatological expectations. In fact, Ventrella challenges postmillennialists themselves to commit anew to evangelism, missionary endeavors, and other practical applications of our hope. And he urges us to engage the cultural influence of our hope with an appropriate, God-honoring, Christ-glorifying humility. As an insider committed to theonomic postmillennialism, Ventrella calls upon fellow Reconstructionists to Christ-likeness in their pursuits, noting that too often our heavy duty theology can lead to heavy-handed treatment of others.

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Convincing

Posted by Michael M. on 6th Apr 2016

About to start and finish the last chapter of "Thine is the Kingdom." What can I say other than that I am fully convinced of the Postmillennial thesis. SDG! Thank you, Bro. Ken Gentry for all the work you do in this area!

An Excellent collection of Postmillennial Articles

Posted by Harold "Bud" Wesche on 11th Dec 2013

This book, edited by Dr. Gentry, is one of my favorites on Postmillennial thought. Every chapter is interesting and helpful. I found material here that I had not come across anywhere else. I recommend it highly.